This invention relates to 24 Cyclopropylcholene-3.beta.,22-diols and esters thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to useful chemical compounds of the formula ##STR1## wherein the bond between C.sub.5 and C.sub.6 may be saturated or unsaturated; R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 may be the same or different and each represents hydrogen or an esterifying moiety such as 1-oxoalkyl frequently but not invariably .OMEGA.-substituted by carboxyl of the formula ##STR2## wherein N represents an integer from 1-6, preferably less than 4, namely, 2-carboxyl-1-oxoethyl, 3-carboxyl-1-oxopropyl and 4-carboxyl-1-oxobutyl.
A major risk in the development of atherosclerotic disease and associated clinical conditions is the level of circulating serum total cholesterol. As the level of serum total cholesterol rises above 180 mg/dl, the risk of atherosclerosis also increases. The low-density lipoproteins which are rich in cholesterol have been implicated as the primary vehicle for carrying cholesterol which will be deposited in tissues.
The major source of arterial cholesterol in the atherosclerotic patient appears to be of endogenous origin. A reduction in the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis will lead to a lowering of serum cholesterol levels. The rate limiting step in the biosynthesis of cholesterol is the enzymatic reduction of .beta.-hydroxy-.beta.-methylglutaryl Co A (HMG Co A) to mevalonic acid (MVA) by the enzyme HMG Co A reductase. Therefore, the regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis by supressing the activity of HMG Co A reductase will lead to a lowering of serum cholesterol levels.
Compounds of the present invention inhibit the activity of HMG Co A reductase. This type of activity should be particularly useful in controlling type II hypercholesterolemia, a inherited condition caused by an autosomal dominant mutation of a single gene locus [Brown and Goldstein, Science 191, 150 (1976).]
Reduction of HMG Co A reductase activity by the present compounds is demonstrated by the following assay. Male rats of the CD strain from Charles River weighing 180-250 g., initially being kept on a regular laboratory diet, are used. The rats are maintained in reverse light-cycle room for 3-6 days. 20,25-Diazacholesterol is administered for a total of 6 days at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day (IG). The last 3 days the test compound is administered along with the 20,25-diazacholesterol. Both compounds are given 2 hours prior to the test on last day. The rats are anesthetized with ether, sacrificed, and the livers removed. Liver microsomes are collected by differential centrifugation after homogenation. Liver microsomes are used as the source of the HMG Co A reductase. Details of the assay are reported in L. W. White and H. Rudney, Biochemistry 9, 2713 (1970); Brown et al., J. Biol. Chem. 248, 4731 (1973); and C. A. Edwards, Biochem. Biophys. Acts 409, 39 (1975). The percent change in formation of [.sup. 14 C]-mevalonic acid from [.sup.14 C]-HMG Co A is used as a measure of enzyme activity for treated groups versus control groups of rats. If the treated groups have less activity, and the decrease is statistically significant at P.ltoreq.0.05, the compound is rated active.
One of the preferred embodiments of this invention, 24-cyclopropylchol-5-ene-3.beta.,22S-diol, was found to inhibit HMG Co A reductase activity in the foregoing test by 79 percent at 5 mg/kg (IG) and 32 percent at 0.5 mg/kg (IG).
The response to 24-cyclopropylchol-5-ene-3.beta.,22S-diol set forth above is, of course, intended merely to illustrate this aspect of the instant invention and, accordingly, is not to be construed as either delimiting or exclusionary.
For therapeutic purposes, the compounds of this invention are ordinarily combined with one or more adjuvants appropriate to the indicated route of administration. If per os, they may be admixed with lactose, sucrose, starch powder, cellulose esters of alkanoic acids, cellulose alkyl ethers, talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, magnesium oxide, sodium and calcium salts of phosphoric and sulfuric acids, gelatin, acacia, sodium alginate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and/or polyfinyl alcohol, and thus tableted or encapsulated for convenient administration; alternatively, they may be dissolved or suspended in water or a comparably innocuous liquid. Parenteral administration may be effected via sterile fluid admixture with water, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, ethanol, corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride, and/or various buffers. Other adjuvants and modes of administration are well and widely known in the pharmaceutical art: see, for example, F. W. Martin et al., "Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences," 14 Ed., Merck Publishing Company, Eaton, Pa., 1965.
Appropriate dosages, in any given instance, of course, depend upon the nature and severity of the condition treated, the route of administration, and the species of mammal involved, including its size and any individual idiosyncrasies which obtain.
Preparation of the compounds of this invention proceeds variously as follows: 3.beta.-acetoxy-22,24-bisnorchol-5-en-22-al [described in Chem. Pharm Bull. (Japan), 26,3715 (1978)] of formula I ##STR3## is contacted in cold tetrahydrofuran under nitrogen with a Grignard reagent of the formula ##STR4##
The Grignard reagent is prepared by treating cyclopropyl chloride with lithium in pentane at zero degrees Centrigrade to form cyclopropyl/lithium which in turn is treated with ethylene oxide to afford 2-cyclopropylethanol [described in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 81, 4894 (1959)] of formula
III. This alcohol is treated with triphenylphosphine in ##STR5## dimethylformamide in the presence of N-bromosuccinimide, which is added in portions over a 20-30 minute period at a reaction temperature of 20.degree. C. to afford the corresponding alkyl bromide of formula IV. Reaction of ##STR6## the alkyl bromide with magnesium turnings in dry tetrahydrofuran provides the desired Grignard reagent of formula II.
From the reaction of the Grignard reagent and 3.beta.-acetoxy-22,24-bisnorchol-5-en-22-al, the resultant acetoxy alcohol, a cholenediol derivative of formula VI ##STR7## is obtained. Removal of the acetate group with sodium hydroxide in methanol provides the free diol, of formula VII. ##STR8##
Heating a compound of formula VII in pyridine with an alkanoic acid anhydride or chloride affords a mixture of esters of the invention having the formulae ##STR9## separable via chromatography on silica gel, using methylbenzene and mixtures thereof with increasing amounts of ethyl acetate as developing solvents. Similarly, heating a compound of formula VII in pyridine with a methyl .OMEGA.-chloro-.OMEGA.-oxoalkanoate affords a mixture of mixed esters having the formula ##STR10## separable via chromatography on silica gel as aforesaid; and heating an ester of formula X or XI with lithium iodide in pyridine, 2,6-dimethylpyridine, or 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine affords an ester of the invention having the formula ##STR11## respectively. Heating a compound of formula IX or XIII with sodium bicarbonate in aqueous ethanol affords a 22-ester of the invention having the following formula ##STR12## where R.sub.2 represents 1-oxoalkyl or .OMEGA.-carboxy-1-oxoalkyl, respectively. Heating a compound of formula X in pyridine with an alkonic acid anhydride or chloride affords a mixed ester of the invention having the formula ##STR13##
Finally, treating the diol of formula VII with succinic anhydride in pyridine gives the hemisuccinate ester of formula XVI ##STR14##
Heating the compound of formula XVI with succinic anhydride in pyridine-containing 4-dimethylaminopyridine affords the bis-hemisuccinate ester of formula XVII ##STR15##
The olefinic bond of the diol is reduced with hydrogen over platinum to the dihydro sterol of formula XVII ##STR16##
The mono and diesters of formula VII can be formed with the compound of formula XVIII in an analogous manner.